Avoiding “organizational pain”

Chronic pain is a pandemic. But there are real developments that enable people to break the cycle of pain. I find that a lot of organizations, just like individuals, develop chronic pain and that the breakthroughs in pain science can help us understand how to tackle “organizational pain” too.

At the heart of our new understanding of pain is that:

1. Pain isn’t an accurate measure of tissue health
2. Pain is a protective avoidance mechanism that tends to “overprotect”
3. The body can be conditioned to feel pain.
4. Our brains can produce pain without any physical stimuli at all.
5. The body “learns” to produce pain overtime.

The greatest news is that scientists are discovering we can RETAIN our pain system by:

1. Acknowledging pain is real even when there is no visible “reason”
2. Developing awareness and ability to identify when our pain system is overprotective.
3. “Avoiding avoidance” and moving more than we normally would under the pain

Pain comes in many forms

You don’t have to be injured to feel pain. People in organizations, for example, can experience interactions that can trigger different types of pain: the pain of failure, conflict, rejection, shame, and so on.

And those “nonphysical” pains behave very similarly to the physical pain:

1. All it takes is one incident of acute pain for the pain system to trigger avoidance.
2. Once the pain system is in overprotective mode we become more sensitive to stimuli and moods
3. As time goes on, and we become more sensitive, even the thought of a possibility of pain becomes enough to trigger real pain.

Organizational chronic pain

As coaches, one of our greatest challenges is overcoming the pull of the past. This is true with individuals and organizations alike. Often times we will arrive at an organization and find it is suffering from chronic organizational pain:

1. The organization pain system has been conditioned to feel pain (“Shit it’s time for our weekly meeting again)
2. Their pain system is overprotective and is triggered by the tiniest stimuli (“I can’t stand his body language. He is SO disrespectful of me!!!”)
3. People feel real pain just thinking of the possibility of pain (“I’m never going to speak my mind in that meeting room again”)
4. As a result, people develop a habit of avoidance (“No way I’m raising this topic. I hate how we argue. I prefer to keep my mind to myself”)

Applying pain science lessons to organization pain

We can start to tackle our organizational pain by leveraging the same principles scientists use to retrain the pain systems of individuals.

Acknowledge the pain is real

Science shows us is that pain is REAL even when it triggered without any stimuli. As far as our brain is concerned we are experiencing full-blown pain.

So when someone in the organization tells you they carry the scars from that time, 5 years ago, when you raised your voice in the meeting room in front of everyone, don’t dismiss them.

The pain is real!

Be mindful to your own pain

A great tool to develop an awareness of your pain is to rate your pain as you start feeling it by asking yourself “On a scale of 1–10 how painful it is?”

You discover very quickly that because our pain system is a preventive system It is enough for us to feel the signs of pain (level 1 pain) to trigger avoidance.

So for example, if you have been avoiding speaking out since the time your boss raised her voice on you 3 years ago… Next time you feel the need to speak out do so and wait for the reaction. When the reaction comes ask yourself. On a scale of 1–10 how painful wad that…

The answer would most likely surprise you.

Avoiding Avoidance

One of the proven ways to retrain our pain system is, once we develop awareness and can know when pain is real or not, to gradually and continuously push through the pain.

To avoid avoidance.

Are you avoiding sharing ideas because they were ridiculed in that meeting 4 years ago? Find a safe circle and start sharing them. Then gradually expand that circle.

Did you stop taking any risks after that huge project failed 3 years ago? Ask yourself what is the tiniest risk factor I can add to my next project and do it?

on a scale of 1–10 how painful it is. If the pain is real then stop and ask yourself serious questions about what needs to be changed in your organization.

But if all you feel is discomfort. And from what I see in as a coach that is the case more often than none, please push on through the pain. Because it is possible to retain our pain system.

Leading through the pain

As leaders, we have extra responsibility both when it comes to minimizing organizational pain and in ensuring our organization retains its pain system if it develops chronic pain.

Your team is more vulnerable to you than others

People look up to you. They follow you. Remember how you felt the first time you gave a presentation to your boss? How hard you worked for two weeks? How much her feedback meant to you?

All it takes is one painful incident to trigger avoidance. So please be extra care and be mindful of the impact you have on the people who follow you.

Retain your own pain system

As a leader, you set an example. If people see that you are triggered by the pains of the past they will follow your path. If on the other hand, they would see you resist the pull of the past they too would become future-oriented. They too would stop driving their car while looking at their rear mirror.

Avoid avoidance

Avoidance is the easiest way to avoid conflict and pain but it is really costly. Listen to the signals of avoidance. Train your managers to listen to it. Make avoiding avoidance part of the personal growth path of each member of your team. Encourage and celebrate it when people gather the courage and move on and grow.

Pain is real but we can retain it!

What chronic pains are you feeling in your organization? What are you avoiding because of that pain? How can you set an example?